The Africa Origin of Greek Philosophy: An Exercise in Afrocentrism - Innocent C. Onyewuenyi

"All the darkness in the world cannot extinguish the light of one candle" - A Saying

The concepts of 'Greek Philosophy' and of 'Greek Civilization', as propounded by 'Western' ideologues, are both myth and fabrication. In the 'Western' world Colleges and universities, especially, have established entire departments, chairs, and literary societies around these notions; not to mention the thousands upon thousands of volumes written and published to support such beliefs. Yet in spite of the millions of pages written in favor, as though it were a fact, one book, of 320 pages, gives us facts to the contrary.

The African Origin of Greek Philosophy: An Exercise in Afrocentrism provides a comprehensive examination of the subject by showing the elements claimed to constitute 'Greek Philosophy' to have existed thousands of years before the City-State of Greece existed much less to have had citizens to extol a philosophy. The introduction is well worth the read in explaining the need to focus on the subject as a response to the racism perpetrated by European and Americans (Whites) against African people in an attempt to appropriate civilization as a creation of the White race. The value of this work is both attested to by Black and White students who recognize the need for the truth. Additionally the author treats the subject in its proper context by stating the "African Origin of Greek Philosophy" by making the point that if the Egyptians, from whom the Greeks learned, are Africans than it is appropriate to treat the subject in its broader context.

Onyewuenyi methodically deconstructs the subject examining each of its constituent parts to show that Egyptian (Kemet) philosophy existed thousands of years (4000 BCE) before Greece; that each specific subject area supposedly addressed by a Greek philosopher had already been address thousands of years before Greece existed; that the so-called Greek philosophers were students of Egypt in its waning years (500 BCE - 50 BCE; and that they (the Greeks) acknowledged Egypt as the source of their information.

Onyewuenyi demonstrates the concept of 'Greek Philosophy' to be the work primarily of latter-day racist ideologues espousing notions of 'White Supremacy'. He says: "The point here is that Western historians , Egyptologist, anthropologist, and philosophers, each from his own domain or specialty, have a tacit unwritten agreement, influenced by their political and racial biases to exclude Africa from participation in and contribution to world development." (Pp. 121-122)

Chapter three examines the writings of eight Europeans and Americans, 18th through 20th century writers, on the subject of philosophy to expose their racism and contrived efforts suggesting Egypt (Africa) had no philosophy, much less an impart on the Greeks. Each writer, beginning with Hegel, goes about denying history and substituting in its place racist ideology to support the concept and commitment of white superiority over Africans. It becomes obvious that, to make their arguments, Hegel and his cohorts all side-step intelligence, history, logic, reason, facts, evidence, truth, and honesty, and in its place supplant fabrication and myth. Says Onyewuenyi: "Faced with undeniable facts and records, some Western historians admit that Thales, Pythagoras, Plato and several others visited and studied in Egypt, but racism and national pride blind them so that they deny the obvious, namely, that the Greeks learned philosophy along with geometry and other sciences from the Egyptians. This chapter will present evidence of the denial or suppression of the Egyptian origin of Greek philosophy and civilizations by historians of philosophy from Hegel in 1770 to McInerny in 1963."

`Chapters two and four-through-six present the Egyptian philosophy - including its cosmology and pantheon (the source of ideas for creation and existence) - and Egyptian science, followed by an examination of each Greek (and Ionian) philosopher - including the time period and place they lived and the concepts attributed to each. In so doing the author resoundingly disproves the claims made by the Greeks and the latter-day racist of such a thing as 'Greek Philosophy' and 'Greek Civilization'.

One criticism I have is that the author cites the biblical story of Moses in Egypt as though it were the truth when history has shown it to be fiction. This takes a bit away from the scholarship and calls into question the authors ability to be completely objective when it comes to his religion; for just as 'Greek Philosophy' has African Origins we know factually Judaism, Christianity and Islam each have African religion and civilization as its origins. (see: African Origins of the Major Western Religions - Yosef ben-Jochannan)

This book, The African Origin of Greek Philosophy, complements other books addressing the same subject: Stolen Legacy (1954) - George G.M. James; Africa: Mother of Western Civilization (1971) - Yosef ben-Jochannan; The African Origin of Civilization (1956) - Cheikh Anta Diop; Black Athena - Martin Bernal; Ancient Egypt Light of the World (1907) - Gerald Massey.

Yet, because racism is unyielding and racist ideologues are psychopathic, rather than be embarrassed and ashamed of such a great fraud Europeans and Americans continue to perpetuate the lie and the myth. Never-the-less for anyone who prefers truth rather than fabrication The African Origin of Greek Philosophy: An Exercise in Afrocentrism by Innocent.C. Onyewuenyi is a must have book.

Published by University of Nigeria Press
ISBN: 1-4196-1305-7
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